


SpaceBear - In The Beginning

by HedwigsTalons



Series: SpaceBear ship fics [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Exploring Possibilities, M/M, Rare Pair, SpaceBear ship, Young Love, uh oh Scott
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:21:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26411056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedwigsTalons/pseuds/HedwigsTalons
Summary: Once upon a time there were two lovestruck idiots called Alan and Brandon.  This is the story of how they got together.
Relationships: Alan Tracy/Brandon Berrenger
Series: SpaceBear ship fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919671
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

“Eat my powder, Tracy!”

Alan watched as the avatar on the slope ahead of him hit the jump, executed a near perfect 360 degree spin, then landed with a spray of computer generated snow. The score in the top right corner of his VR display ticked upwards as the machine awarded Brandon a hefty stack of points for his trick.

Bracing for his own attempt Alan hit the jump a moment later. He sailed through the air, kicked his legs back and grabbed the edge of his board before releasing and coming in to land. The game evidently wasn’t as impressed with his attempts and his points haul was considerably smaller than Brandon’s.

“I thought you were meant to be good at this stuff?”

“Hey, I don't get to hit the slopes unless I’m rescuing someone - like you” he shot back a jibe about the last time he, Brandon and a snowboard had been in the same place; a jibe Brandon chose to ignore. “Not a lot of snow where I’m from. Scott and Virg sometimes get the boards out during downtime, maybe you should challenge them and see how it goes.”

“What, Captain Safety and Lieutenant Slow Poke? Like they could beat me on a board; get real.”

“Don’t let them hear you call them that, not if you ever want to be allowed back on the island” Alan snorted. 

Another jump forced them each to concentrate as they made their final maneuver of the round. The jump ahead was the biggest yet and had the potential for some serious points to be scored. Alan shifted his weight on the board, his avatar drawing level with Brandon’s as he picked up speed.

The pair hit the ramp together, each trying to outdo each other in a final show of skill and bravado. They sailed through the air with flips and spins that seemed to impress those watching their performance on the big screen if the gasps from the sidelines were anything to go by, then hit the floor and glided over the finish line.

Alan checked the scores but he’d known from the outset what they would be; this wasn’t his sort of game. It didn’t matter though, he was just enjoying a day off rota with Brandon. A chance for life to be less complicated and fulfil the role of player two as Brandon reviewed the games expo for his vlog. Not that he’d mind if life became more complicated between them but he wasn’t going to risk driving away one of his only friends over a few unrequited feelings.

Removing their headsets the pair stepped down from the platform to find quite a crowd had gathered during their test run of the new game. Okay, most of the world’s media had probably been drawn to the sight of an elusive Tracy out in public but Brandon was quick to capitalise on the exposure. He turned towards the line of holocams and slung an arm round Alan’s shoulders, drawing him close in a way that kept the pair of them firmly centre stage.

“This is Brandon ‘The Bear’ Berrenger coming to you live from the World Games Expo” he spouted to the cameras, vlog persona to the fore, “where I have been one of the first to try the brand new, yet to be released, Extreme Snowboard 6 and as you can see I was so awesome even Thunderbird Three couldn’t keep up.” 

“Pfft, I wasn’t that far behind. You wouldn’t stand a chance against me in zero-g.” Alan gave him a sideways look and pulled away slightly, raising an eyebrow at Brandon’s cockiness. Brandon might have beaten him but he hadn’t been a complete failure on the simulated slopes.

“Is that an offer for round two?” A hopeful grin was shot in his direction.

“No way, I am not taking you into space to try my rocket sled.”

“Well Bear fans, it looks like I’m going to have to try something different to win favour with this Thunderbird and get my hands on his board.” Dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper Brandon muttered in Alan’s ear, “Hey, wanna do something to really hit the media spotlight?”

Alan’s eyes widened. You never could tell what Brandon was going to try next but if it involved a trip into space he did not want to be involved; Brandon was quite capable of getting himself into danger without leaving Earth’s atmosphere. 

“I don’t think Scott would li…” he tried to mutter back but got no further. 

Before he knew what was happening he’d been pulled in close again. Suddenly Brandon’s lips were crushed against his and he could feel the flush of heat rising in his cheeks as fantasy became unexpected reality. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the image being beamed to the nearby screens as the stations covering the event put the live feed to the front of their broadcasting schedules. There, in images ten foot high, were him and Brandon, faces pressed together in front of the world’s media, a peace sign waved by Brandon to the cameras as his own ears glowed as red as the Thunderbird he piloted.

What felt like an eternity later Brandon pulled away, leaving him shocked and breathless, his heart fluttering with possibilities.

“And remember, always be extreme!” The Bear was back in control, dismissing the various journalists with his usual sign off and looking for all the world as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Alan, on the other hand, was left gasping. Media stunt or sign of something else he wasn’t quite sure but he meant to find out before the day was done. Unfortunately he had other more pressing worries. The chime of his comm meant that at least one brother was already aware of the footage and the thought sent his stomach plummeting like a stone.


	2. Chapter 2

_Pucker up, buttercup_

The words hovering above his wrist were there as indisputable proof that at least one of his brothers had been watching the action at the Expo. His forlorn hope that the message was about a rescue was dashed by those three little words.

Gordon. 

Of course it would have to be Gordon who was watching. 

_Anyone else see?_

_Nope. Maybe John if he's spying. Dinner tonight is gonna be fun_

And to make matters worse he was facing the prospect of the family troll teasing about this without actually being too sure what this was. His stomach dropped further if that was at all possible. How could he have forgotten that Brandon was coming back with him after the Expo? Because his brain had been short circuited, that’s why.

By the sounds of it though Gordon was the only island resident to catch the footage live, the absence of other comm traffic at least suggested that the others either didn’t know, or didn’t care, for now. Smother brother was stuck the other side of town in TI meetings all day, barring emergencies, so he felt pretty safe there, Virgil wasn’t really one for mindless TV and if John had been checking up on him, well, his space bound sibling tended to have a 'live and let live' attitude and wouldn't get himself involved unless asked. 

He breathed a small sigh of relief; he had a couple more hours to find out what the hell Brandon was playing at before heading back to the lions’ den. If necessary he could always threaten Gordon, his knowledge of a certain box currently being shipped from Japan should be enough to buy the squid’s silence. Speaking of Brandon though, where was he?

In the time it had taken him to exchange messages with Gordon Brandon had vanished into the crowds. He felt lost and alone in a sea of people, the author of his confusion nowhere in sight. His lips still tingled and felt slightly bruised after the ferocity of their attack from the Bear but he didn’t mind the throbbing, it was a sign that he hadn’t just dreamed the moment between them.

His comm chimed again. He didn’t want to open the message, one nosy brother was more than enough to deal with for now, but years of living life on the alert meant he knew better than to ignore it. Reluctantly he hit read.

_Cavern Quest Expansion. We’re up next_

At least that was one mystery solved. It surprised him though, Cavern Quest was one game where he and Brandon had never seen eye to eye, the Bear much preferring electronic versions of his favoured extreme sports to anything fantasy based.

The crowd around the Cavern Quest platform was sizable and most definitely not conducive to a private conversation. He wasn’t going to let that spoil his afternoon though, he would get Brandon alone at some point. For now the VR headset, thrust into his hands by that same smiling Bear who sent his head into a tailspin, beckoned him into a new and exciting part of the goblin realms. Dialling up his usual character form he prepared to do battle.

The remainder of the day passed in much the same way. Their combined celebrity status pretty much guaranteed them a pass to try whatever the developers had brought to the Expo; both had a massive fan base plus the skills to show off the capabilities of the games and tech in best light and so the Expo was their playground. They bounced from game to game and by the end of it Alan had a few new titles to add to his wish list. 

It would have been a perfect day off for Alan if it hadn’t been for that one confusing moment in front of the cameras. A moment that could have hinted at the friendship having the potential to turn into something more if it wasn’t for the fact that Brandon seemed to be doing his level best to ensure they never actually had a moment alone for him to confront the Bear over what had happened. Every time he tried to talk to Brandon, to question his motives, he would start another vlog stream or give a soundbite to a developer about whichever game they had just tried. Every attempt was thwarted and in the end he gave up trying.

All too soon there was the final chime of his comm that announced that Scott was en route to scoop them both up. He had the prospect of a family dinner ahead, no doubt complete with a smirking Gordon. At least he could shut down any teasing from the squid, the complete lack of acknowledgement from Brandon suggested it was all just a stunt for the cameras.


	3. Chapter 3

“So did you kids have fun today?”

Alan facepalmed, “I’m not twelve years old any more, or have you forgotten I can fly a Thunderbird.”

Scott smirked from his place at the controls, well aware of the embarrassment emanating from the crew seats behind him, or at least the one containing Alan. There was just something about being able to wind up younger brothers that made it one of life’s simple pleasures. “No, but at the moment you’re getting a lift in my ‘bird. So, little brother, how was your day?”

“It was great, Scott. Real great.” Once Scott got into dad mode Alan knew he wouldn’t be appeased without an answer, the problem was he still had a lot of unanswered questions of his own about the day.

“Show some enthusiasm, why don’t you? You’ve been bugging me about this Expo for weeks.”

However, it was Brandon that launched in with the rundown of the day, or at least an edited version of it. There was something about travelling at supersonic speeds that always got him hyped up and energetic. “It was, like, totally awesome. We got to try all the new tech and Alan here totally rocked on the flight simulator.”

Scott gave a chuckle. “I should hope so. Can’t have you doing anything that might show International Rescue in a bad light and failing on a flight simulator would just about cover it.”

Alan tried to sink lower in his seat; a futile task given there was a safety harness holding him firmly in place. He wondered what sort of light was cast by him and Brandon kissing for the cameras. He just hoped any coverage stayed within reports about the Expo where Scott was unlikely to see it otherwise he sensed a lecture on PR obligations as a minimum.

The merciful thing about flying in Thunderbird One was that even when Scott wasn’t punching it a flight never took a long time. Within minutes they were on final approach, the pool retracting to give them entry to the underground hangers.

“Dinner’s at seven” Scott announced as he started post flight checks, “so don’t be late, I know what you can be like if you get too involved in a game.”

It was a clear enough dismissal and Alan and Brandon took it as their cue to leave. They made their way through to the upper levels of the villa and along to Alan’s room as normal, Brandon babbling away about the various games they had tried and how he needed to stitch together some footage for his vlog. It was as though he needed to keep the air filled with noise, there was just no let up.

Once in Alan’s room Brandon made his way over to the desk and Alan followed after, hovering behind the chair while Brandon made himself comfy. Now that they were finally alone, something he had been trying to achieve ever since Brandon had pulled his stunt after the snowboarding, he was lost for words, unable to broach the topic that had been bugging him for hours or months if he examined his deeper feelings.

“Mind if I get get these vlog posts sorted?” Brandon asked, not stopping to wait for an answer before booting up Alan’s computer. “Got to keep on top of my media presence and give the viewers what they want. We can’t all of us rely on other people doing something stupid to stay in business.” 

Alan’s thoughts were in turmoil. Brandon was acting as if absolutely nothing had happened between them. If it wasn’t for the fact that he knew there was video evidence out there to back him up he might have started to doubt that the whole thing had ever happened. Did Brandon just want to forget it? Did it mean absolutely nothing and this was a sign that Brandon just didn’t care for him in that way?

With Brandon’s back turned towards him, settled in front of the now glowing screens, Alan found it a little easier to find his voice. There was something about looking into Brandon’s eyes that sent him tongue tied, but faced with the back of his head Alan was able to draw on some of that courage that marked him out as a Thunderbird. As they say, if you don’t ask you won’t know, and he’d had enough of not knowing. “Is that what today was? Giving the viewers what they want?” The words were spat out with rather more venom than Alan intended as he tried to keep a check on his feelings, hurt that his friend would use him as a way to boost his ratings and grab the limelight.

Brandon’s shoulders slumped slightly but he didn’t turn around, not daring to face those startling blue eyes that could knock him sideways. Not wanting to see their usual kindness turned to hate. He might have all the bravado and swagger in front of the camera but without an audience to play to he felt all his courage ebbing away. It was only because the damn cameras had been rolling that he’d felt able to make a move in the first place. It was a decision he was now regretting and he wished the floor would swallow him up; anything to stop him being alone in Alan Tracy’s bedroom. 

He wished that whole sorry moment had never happened but self-control had never been his strong point when he knew the world was watching. With his arm slung around his friend that adorable smile that made him glow every time he saw it had been too much to resist and buoyed by the Dutch courage given to by a rolling film he’d acted on the thoughts he’d been harbouring for too long. 

“You...you’d...kiss me as some stupid stunt for the media?” 

Almost alone. 

The venom had been replaced by hurt and Brandon winced internally at the thought of having ruined a perfectly good friendship by overstepping the mark. Hurting Alan had been the last thing he wanted but it looked like the damage was done and lying wasn’t going to make it any better; honesty was a big thing in the Tracy household and he’d rather tell Alan the truth than leave him thinking he’d just played him to gain subscribers. 

“Is that what you want it to be? Just a stunt? Cos we can call it that if you want but I like you Alan...really like you.”

There was silence between them as Alan tried to process that answer, the response certainly wasn’t what he’d been expecting. There was no ‘It’ll be great for the ratings’ or ‘Lighten up and live a little’, not even a ‘Gotta give the fans something to buzz about’. 

As the seconds stretched into eternity Brandon spun the chair and finally met Alan’s eye, trying to convey that for once in his life he was serious.

“You do? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Not very good with words, I’m more an actions kinda guy.”

“And you thought slamming your face into mine in front of the cameras was the right way to let me know?”

“No, I get it, I screwed up. I wanted to talk to you at the Expo, talk properly, but I just had such a buzz and there you were and….urgh…put me in front of a camera and I can’t help doing dumb stuff. See, you’re the smart one, I just ruin everything. I’m sorry it happened.”

He expected the anger to return, expected to be told to get ready to leave the island and get out of Alan’s life.

“I’m not. I just imagined our first kiss to be a little more private, that’s all.”

Alan looked at the upturned face that he’d spent far too long lusting over. Brandon has been first an idol and latterly a friend after fates and rescues thrust them together but Alan had never dared to act on his hopes that one say they could be more than friends. The Bear, with his brash confidence and a partner in every ski resort, was everything he wasn’t with his sheltered island existence. Now though, those delicious chocolate brown eyes were marred by worry suggesting that the confidence part might not be true. 

“Can we start over? Maybe do things your way?”

Alan swallowed nervously, eyes fixed on the mouth that seemed to be drawing him in like a magnet. He leant forward hesitantly, worried about screwing things up, all the times he’d played through this moment in his head suddenly seemed poor preparation for the reality. Brandon leant forward to meet him and their lips brushed gently. It was the polar opposite of the crushing assault of the Expo but it still left Alan tingling as he pulled away a moment later. 

“So, are we good?” 

Alan felt Brandon’s hands reach out and take hold of his hips, gently pulling him forwards until he was sat straddled across his lap. “I think we’re more than good, rocket boy.”

Alan smiled as a warm glow filled him. He leant in again, a little more confidently this time, continuing the kiss that he now knew they both welcomed. A warm tongue swiped across his lips and he readily granted entry, happy to let Brandon take the lead as he gave in to the desires that until now had only been played out in his head. 

He ran his hands through Brandon’s hair and was rewarded with a stirring beneath him that suggested Brandon enjoyed the feeling very much indeed. His own body tensed in response, the sensation sent his head into overdrive but this was unknown territory and he was both nervous and excited about where things might lead. 

Sensing the tension Brandon broke off from the kiss. “You okay?” He worried that the young Tracy was already having regrets, his actions were so chaste and not at all like the fans Brandon was used to relieving his frustrations with. But then this was pretty different for him too, it wasn’t often that he had feelings invested in these encounters. 

“I’m fine,” Alan’s hands dropped to his shoulders, suddenly finding the floor very interesting, “this is all just a little new.” He flushed slightly at the admission of his inexperience. 

Realisation hit that it wasn’t just the concept of ‘them’ that was new to Alan. “Oh...you mean?” The sight of Alan biting nervously on his lower lip, unable to meet his eye, gave him silent acknowledgement. 

“Not a lot of opportunity when you're related to everyone on the island.” There, he’d said it. Brandon was probably going to think he was a right idiot.

Brandon’s fingers skittered upwards along the line of Alan’s ribs, breaking the tension and causing him to squirm. “Damn you’re cute when you blush. How the hell did I get so lucky?”

“You don’t mind?”

“No, why would I?” Brandon snorted, “But we can take things slow if you want.”

In answer he found Alan’s hands tangled in his hair again, the fingers carding through, nails gently scratching against his scalp in a way that had him moaning. He might be a novice but he was a quick learner. Teeth clashed together as both decided at the same moment that they’d had enough of talking. 

Brandon’s own hands roved upwards, sliding under the hem of Alan’s t-shirt, rucking up the material as they travelled up his back, strong fingers tracing up the line of his spine causing Alan to shiver in delight. The shirt suddenly felt far too warm and constricting, his skin yearning for more touch and the material was just a hindrance to that. He broke the kiss for a moment and leant back slightly.

"Mind if I…?" he let the question hang unfinished but the intention was clear as he grasped the hem, pausing for an answer.

"Whatever you want is good with me, rocket boy. We can stop this at any time though, just say the word." 

A moment later and Alan was ripping the hem upwards, getting slightly tangled in his haste to shuck the garment off.

The sight of the exposed torso normally covered by a shirt or encased in body armour, stretched out in front of him and showing off every sculpted muscle, brought out the devil Brandon and he planted a kiss on the bare chest then flicked a tongue over a nipple in a way that had the sensitive bud stiffening in an instant. He worried that he’d gone too far and messed things up again but the burning eyes that met his own when Alan had finally freed himself and thrown the shirt to the floor showed that Alan’s mind had clearly gone to the same place his had.

For Alan the feeling of Brandon touching him, kissing him, was awakening all his senses and setting his nerve endings on fire. His body was crying out for more and all thoughts of taking it slow were long gone. Even the undercurrent of fear of doing or saying the wrong thing had been fairly successfully shoved to the back of his mind.

Brandon remembered his own early experiences, the flood of hormones finally getting a chance at release and that overwhelming desire to touch and be touched. It could be so easy to take advantage but he didn't want Alan to end up with any regrets. He wanted this to be a relationship that meant something, not one that turned sour with broken trust. He'd crashed into Alan's life, literally, and then Alan had crashed into his heart in a way he had never expected; he really didn't want to mess this up. One thing he knew for sure though, the chair really wasn't designed for two.

"Al," he mumbled into Alan's collar bone as he trailed kisses from neck to shoulder, "can we move somewhere more comfortable?" Alan's slender form might be light but he was still starting to lose circulation to his legs.

"Oh God, am I hurting you?" Alan pulled away, the devastation etched across his face. 

His concern was touching and Brandon was quick to give a reassuring grin. "I'm fine, honest. I just thought we could have more fun over there," he nodded towards the bed, "but only if you want to."

Sliding backwards off his lap, Alan pulled Brandon upright and allowed Brandon to lead him the few steps towards the bed. He sat down and watched wide eyed as Brandon pulled off his own shirt before joining him. 

Alan shyly reached out and stroked the exposed skin, tracing his fingers down Brandon's sternum, ghosting fingers around the outlines of pecs honed by years climbing mountains and riding the slopes. He still couldn't quite believe that this was happening, that Brandon could be interested in him in this way. 

Brandon sat there, enjoying the sensations as Alan explored, that was until Alan raked his nails against his scalp again and primal instincts kicked in. They tumbled back onto the mattress, Alan ending up bottom of the pile, pinned down the Bear. Hungry mouths sought each other out again and hands roved, driven by pure lust. Brandon ground his hips downwards and Alan could clearly feel the solid bulge which matched his own. Even through several layers of material the feeling was enough to white out Alan’s thoughts for a moment and he gasped as his whole body felt electrified. 

Neither heard the door. 

The voice that cut across the room was stern, causing their heads to whip round in shock. Twin blushes formed at being caught, almost literally, with their pants down.

“Alan, Brandon, get dressed. You’re late for dinner.”

The commander of International Rescue did not look impressed.


	4. Chapter 4

The shamefaced pair trailed down to the kitchen after Scott, like condemned prisoners following behind their jailor who led them in stony silence. As if having big brother walk in on them hadn't been bad enough he had stood there, tall and imposing in the doorway, waiting while discarded clothes were found and reclaimed. Despite all the times he'd changed in front of his brothers Alan had never felt more naked and exposed even though he had still been half dressed.

Entering the lower level of the villa they found the table all set, Virgil and Gordon already seated and staring hungrily at empty plates. The warm smells coming coming from the kitchen module were actually pretty good for a change although Alan wasn't too sure he had much of an appetite any more.

“You’re late, boys. Now hurry up and wash your hands then you can help me carry over the dishes, I made the others wait for you.”

With a quick chorus of “Sorry Grandma” and “Sorry Mrs Tracy” the pair hurried over to the sink to get washed up while Scott headed back to his place at the table.

"I really shouldn't have to send Scott to fetch you, you know,” Sally scolded. “I'd have thought after spending all day at the Expo you would have had enough of playing games. Never mind, you’re here now so we can get started."

She hustled them about, setting them to ferrying the serving dishes over to the table where they were eagerly pounced upon by Gordon and Virgil. Scott was more reserved but she put it down to a tough day in the office, TI business was a necessary evil for him and he was often a little bit muted after a day stuck in a suit. 

Once everyone had had a chance to load their plates, and the initial babble of conversation between those who weren’t privy to the scene in Alan’s bedroom had faded as eating took priority, Scott finally broke his silence, his words falling like lead. "So, when were you going to tell us?" Walking in on his baby brother had come as something of a shock, Alan had been his responsibility for so long it was sometimes hard to accept that the kid he had taken custody of was growing up. It probably didn’t help matters that the other party was Brandon. He tolerated Brandon’s presence, mostly because he had been persuaded how good it was for Alan to have a friend outside the family, but the vlogger was definitely more worldly than his brother and preceded by a reputation that Scott did not approve of. His protective instincts had been ignited and right now he was wishing he’d followed his gut and kept Brandon away from the island.

Alan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He’d barely had time to come to terms with things himself and he and Brandon hadn’t actually got as far as defining what they were before giving in to their physical wants.

"Tell us what?" Virgil put down his fork and looked between his oldest and youngest brothers, Scott was radiating animosity and Alan looked nervous as hell. 

"Alan and Brandon here have been getting a little up close and personal." 

"Lighten up Scott, it was one kiss. You make it sound like the end of the world"

Scott had been expecting an answer but he hadn't been expecting it to come from Gordon. "What do you mean 'one kiss'? It’s a damn sight more than that." 

Confusion reigned supreme on Gordon's face. "No, it wasn't. I saw the footage."

"What footage? What are you on about Gords?” The question was low and threatening and Gordon found himself swallowing nervously despite having a pretty clear conscious for once.

“The Expo of course, what are you on about?”

“I just caught these two,” the words were spat with more force than was strictly necessary as Scott waved vaguely in the direction of Alan and Brandon, “fooling around in Alan’s room. Now what’s this about the Expo?” The pair in question were subjected to the full force of the Commander’s stare; Scott knew he was coming across as intimidating and probably overreacting but after a day spent examining share prices and and listening to market forecasts he was in no mood to be dealing with unexpected surprises. 

“That was all my fault, Scott,” Brandon stammered. “I kinda got carried away with all the cameras there and surprised Alan, he...he had nothing to do with it.”

“Hmm,” Scott frowned, not missing the slight shift in movement that suggested Alan had grasped Brandon’s hand under the table or the grateful look Brandon shot him in response; it was a show of unity he hadn’t expected. “That doesn’t make it any better.” He reached up and activated his comm “Come in Thunderbird Five, I’ve got a job for you.”

“What is it, Scott?” the missing sibling popped into being via the nearest holoprojector, looking puzzled at being summoned.

“I need you to go through the footage from the Expo Alan went to. You might need to do some damage limitation.”

“Uh, okay. Are you going to give me a clue what I’m looking for?”

“Oh I think you’ll know when you see it.”

“FAB.” The slightly puzzled Space Monitor winked out of existence as the link was cut.

Knowing that John was dealing with whatever had happened at the Expo, and taking Gordon’s lack of concern over the footage as a sign that whatever had been caught on film wasn’t too major, Scott focussed his attention back on the unhappy couple.

“So is this serious between you or what?” 

The tension between oldest and youngest was palpable. Alan licked his lips nervously, trying to work out how to phrase things and desperately wishing there wasn’t such an audience as all eyes turned towards him. Was it serious? Was Brandon his boyfriend now? He certainly knew what he wanted it to be. 

“Yeah, yeah it is.” Brandon had cut in before he had the chance to answer, giving Alan’s hand a reassuring squeeze at the same time. This time it was Alan giving Brandon the grateful look; he knew how hard it was to face up to Scott when he got like this. 

"Well I think it's great, honey," Grandma stepped in, giving Scott a brief warning look that clearly said the interrogation was over before turning her attention on the new couple. “Hey, maybe you can come on a double date with me and Kip.” She knew Scott had to get whatever concerns he had out of his system but his attitude needed keeping in check. This was meant to be a nice family dinner after all.

“Ewww, Grandma!” Alan exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I’m only messing with you. I wouldn’t want any of you boys along anyway, it might cramp my style.” She winked at Alan, causing him to shudder. “Now will someone pass me those bread rolls, I’m hungry.”

The meal passed in relative normality after that although the oldest and youngest brothers ate barely a fraction of their usual portion. Alan’s stomach was still in knots and he could only pick at his food while Scott was obviously still brooding but with Grandma giving her seal of approval any further discussions of Alan and Brandon’s fledgling relationship were clearly off limits. 

Mostly off limits. Alan knew the silence from Scott was too good to last.

“Virgil, I’m going to need you to have a talk with Alan and Brandon after dinner.” While he might not like the idea of his baby brother having anything that even remotely resembled a sex life he had to accept that this was a likely progression. He would be failing in his duty if he didn’t make sure the couple went into this with their eyes open but same sex relationships were outside his personal realm of experience, hence calling on his next in line. 

“Huh, what about?” Virgil looked up from his plate, he was far less bothered than Scott about the whole situation and wasn’t too sure what else there was to discuss.

"Alan. And Brandon." Scott gave his brother a pointed look. 

Virgil's brow furrowed in confusion before realisation hit. "Oh, right, couple stuff. Really though Scott the rules aren't any different just cos it's a guy, but sure I'll talk to them." 

Alan wanted the ground to swallow him up and he could feel the rising blush creeping towards his ears. He could not believe this was happening. He wasn’t completely clueless on the facts of life and Brandon definitely wasn’t. To make matters worse Gordon was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the prospect, probably thinking up his own contributions Alan suspected.

"Really, it's okay, we're good." Feeling the discomfort radiating off of Alan, Brandon tried to ward Virgil off.

"Oh no," Virgil smirked, although to Brandon the look seemed vaguely reminiscent of a shark circling its prey, "if you intend to be involved with my little brother we are definitely going to talk."

“Grandma, is this really necessary?” Alan tried to appeal to the one person who he thought he could count on as an ally.

“Actually dear, I’m with your brothers on this one. Now if everyone’s finished I’ve got some jobs I want to do. Gordon, can you give me a hand please, I’ve got some boxes I want shifting.” She knew she wouldn’t be able to persuade Scott to leave but she could at least take some of the pressure off the situation.

The aquanaut grimaced but knew better to disobey. Much as it would have been fun to watch Alan squirm he knew his Grandma was deliberately giving the others space; two big brothers was more than enough for Alan to be dealing with and Virgil would stop Scott from going overboard. Anyways, he could impart his worldly wisdom any time he fancied grossing his brother out.

With Gordon and Grandma out the way a heavy silence settled over the table. Scott was still radiating animosity and the attitude was starting to bug Virgil. So what if Scott wasn’t a fan of Brandon? Alan obviously was and if the feeling was mutual who was he to get in their way. He took a sip of his water and waited for Scott to say something but Scott had evidently decided it was all on him now. He cleared his throat.

“Now I don’t know what the pair of you have been getting up to, and to be honest I don’t want to know, but if you two are now an item there are some ground rules you need to follow. Alan, you have a lock on your bedroom door, I suggest you start using it. Brandon, whenever you stay over there will be a guest room for you as normal; it’s up to the pair of you if you use it but it’s there.”

“Now I don’t think…” Scott tried to butt in but Virgil cut him off. If big brother was going to pass the buck on anything that wasn’t strictly hetero then he could keep his mouth shut for the moment. And anyway, Virgil thought, Scott was a hypocrite. He could well remember Scott’s own early forays into the world of dating which had started far earlier than Alan’s.

“No, Scott. Alan not a kid any more and neither is Brandon. I don’t want them to feel like they need to sneak around and neither do I want to barge in on anything. Or have you forgotten how many times I had to cover for you or come up with some excuse to keep Dad out of wherever you’d chosen to mess around with your latest squeeze?” Once he was satisfied that there would be no more interruptions he turned back to Alan and Brandon. “Now judging from the way Scott here has decided to drag me into all this I guess things have already started getting pretty physical between the two of you.” Alan didn’t think it was possible to sink any lower in his seat but he tried. “Now there are only two rules but they are absolutely non-negotiable. Firstly, if you choose to go that far, you always use protection. You have no excuse not to, there is always a stock in the cabinet in the infirmary, just make a note on the pharmacy order if supplies are running low. And secondly, you do not do anything that you aren’t both wholly comfortable with. You always check the other person is happy and if either of you want to stop at any point you stop. Oh, and Brandon, if you dare hurt my little brother I personally know of at least 6 ravines where you could have a very convincing accident."

Once Virgil had said his piece Scott launched in again, mostly about not broadcasting everything about their lives to the public or splashing it all over the vlog. It was a request the pair happily agreed to; Alan wasn’t keen on the idea of navigating life with Bradon in front of millions of viewers and Brandon felt like he would have agreed to anything if it meant being able to get away from the combined force of Tracys one and two.

When they were finally released from their lecture Alan and Brandon fled back to the sanctuary of Alan’s room. Alan clicked the lock into place behind them; still a bit shaky after the ordeal at dinner it wasn’t that he was in the mood to continue where they left off, more that he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any more rules or advice from the family, well meant or otherwise. 

Brandon climbed up onto the bed and sat up against the wall, resting his forearms on drawn up knees. “Man, Scott was like, so intense and boy I do not want to go piss off Virg, I used to think he was the soft one but I kinda think he scares me more than Scott. Are your family always this extreme?”

“Yeah, sorry, they can get a little over protective sometime. You do know Virgil was joking about the ravines, right?” 

“Right,” Brandon looked like he wasn’t wholly convinced though. “Just as well I like living life on the edge. Always be extreme and all that.”

“Were you alright with what they said, about not putting stuff about us out on your vlog?”

“Well clips with you or your brothers in already get 30% more views, think of the ratings.”

“Brandon!”

“Relax Alan. No cameras, no clips. I don’t have to put everything about me online and I don’t want to. The media, well, you’ve seen how it can chew you up and spit you out and I don’t want to do anything that could hurt you.” 

Brandon patted the bed and Alan responded to the invitation. He climbed into the gap between Brandon’s legs and settled his back against Brandon’s chest, feeling a slight thrill as warm arms circled round him in a gentle hug. This was a side to Brandon that was rarely seen, a softer, gentler, more serious side that was at odds with the carefully curated persona of the Bear. 

As Alan’s weight settled comfortably back against him, the smaller form cocooned by his own slightly taller frame, Brandon felt luckier than he had done in a long time. Alan wasn’t what would normally be considered his type, not if the string of conquests behind him was anything to go by, but there was something about the young Thunderbird with his raw and open honesty that had Brandon craving more than a quick fling. There was a connection he’d never felt with anyone else before and he made a sincere and silent promise to look after the man who had first welcomed him into his life and his family and then invited him a step further into his heart.

He didn’t know if this would be a forever thing but he did know he was grateful for the chance to try, the chance to prove that he could be more than just a jackass pulling stunts for the cameras. There was something about Alan, nestled comfortably against him like a puzzle piece where he had drifted off to sleep half way through a movie, that gave him a feeling of deep contentment and he dropped a gentle kiss onto the slumbering head beside him. Commitment had never been on his radar before, uncomplicated fun was more his usual style, but this was different; a relationship to be explored slowly at whatever pace Alan felt comfortable with and if that meant starting off with movie nights punctuated by tentative kisses, well, he was happy to go along with that.


End file.
